Archive for August, 2012

Must Haves in One Search

Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

Now that One Search is part of Destiny, make sure that you have some great resources for teachers to use.  When adding, I would preset these databases as a selected search but only allow teachers to search the databases:

The Orange Grove (Florida Digital Library)

Wisconsin Ideas

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

California Learning Resource Network (CLRN)

These should be preset but allow both Teachers and Students to search it:

CK-12 FlexBooks Library Educational Resources for Teachers/Students

Khan Academy

If One Search is not current being shown as a tab in your Destiny Library Manager, please be sure to contact the rep in your region or me.

A New Experience from our eBooks and FollettShelf

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

On September 21, the new FollettShelf and eBook Reader will be coming out.  With these improvements, my previous posts about types of eBooks to purchase has expanded to include anything that supports your program.  Here are just a few of the features:

  • New support for reading on small devices (smartphones and smaller tablet devices)
  • Reflowable text
  • A simpler checkout process and new support for holds
  • New notebook functions that allow patrons to continue to access notes even after eBooks are
  • returned, take notes across books, and support project-based learning
  • Offline/download improvements that make it easier for students and staff to use your content
  • anywhere at any time
  • • Resource links will be available from each eBook to allow the student to easily discover other
  • related digital content

This all comes with no subscriptions or minimum purchase.

Ipad Digital Reader

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Here is what I would currently recommend if your school has class sets of iPads (This may change in the future so please contact me)

For younger children, create usernames and logins for each of the iPads on the FollettShelf and log the iPad user into to the reader app.  This way when anyone opens the app, they can easily get more eBooks on the iPad.  The only issue for this is that they will not be able to create individual notes and bookmarks for each book since it is a general login.  If they wanted to do reviews they could but they would not have their name appear, which is probably a good thing.

Older children could access the books using the method above, but if they have their own login, they can log into the reader app and get books.  They could then take notes if they are reading the book in the reader online (not downloaded).  These notes will be available any time that they access the book again and the books that they checked out on the iPad online can be accessed by them on computers as well as their notes and bookmarks.

Suggestions for eBooks

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

 

 Here are some examples of eBooks for your school.  When the HTML reader comes out, this list can be expanded to include popular fiction titles.

eBook Materials Elementary with examples:

  • Picture Books (Raven by Gerald McDermott)
  •  Story Books (First Day Jitters and Last Day Blues both by Julie Denneberg)
  • Reference Materials (Sorting the Elements the Story of the Periodic Table by Ian Barber)
  • Nonfiction (What Do You Do With a Tail Like This by Steve Jenkins)
  • Poetry (Swirl Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman)
  • High Interest (Ex. Eew! Icky, Sticky, Gross Stuff in Your Body By Pam Rosenberg and Technically, It’s Not My Fault Concrete Poems by John Grandits)
  • Graphic Novels (The Salem Witch Trials by Joeming W Dunn and The Legend of Hong Kil Dong, the Robin Hood of Korea by Anne Sibley O’Brien and Attack of the mutant lunch lady by Scott Nickel)

 eBook Materials Secondary with examples:

  • Novels used in Classroom (Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (Yes you could access this in Gutenberg but our reader allows for individual notes/bookmarks.)
  • Support for Classroom Novels (Bloom’s How to Write About Shakespeare’s Comedies by Paul Gleed and Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice by David Nicol)
  • Reference Materials (Atoms, Molecules, and Compounds by Phillip Manning and the Encyclopedia of World Religions)
  • Poetry  (My Own True Name New and Selected Poems for Young Adults by Pat Mora)
  • High Interest (Michael Jackson King of Pop by Pratt, Mary K and Monsters of Mystery by Hamilton, Sue L.)
  • Graphic Novels (Yummy the Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Neri, Greg and Shakespeare’s Hamlet the Manga Edition by Sexton, Adam)